


The Way it Should Have Been

by Alula_Astro



Category: Cardinal (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:07:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 2,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25408927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alula_Astro/pseuds/Alula_Astro
Summary: What would happen if John and Catherine had mutually split before John and Lise met? What would happen if Lise broke up with Josh after she met John? What would happen if John and Lise realized that they were in love at the beginning?Read to find out.Timeline wise this story will jump about and skip things that happen in cannon because I'm lazy. <3
Relationships: John Cardinal/Lise Delorme
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

John pulls up to a police road block and gets out of the car. He pulls his ID out of his pocket and shows it to the officer there.

"It's a jumper sir." The officer says.

John nods and walks past. He sees his girlfriend stood with Ash and Ian. They see him and Lise walks up to him.

"John it's best if you don't." She says, concerned. 

"What's happening Lise? The uniform back there said that it was suicide." 

"It's Catherine." 

"Oh my god." John whispers. 

A year ago - before John and Lise met - John and Catherine split. They were still friends and talked often. When John and Lise met they instantly fell for each other. Lise broke up with her boyfriend that night. He walks over to Catherine's body and crouches down next to her. He feels someone place a hand on his shoulder. John turns around to see Lise with tears in her eyes. That's when John realized that he was crying too.


	2. Chapter 2

John and Lise are sat on a sofa at home. Lise is lent against John and John has an arm wrapped around her.

"We need to call Kelly." She says.

"I know. How on earth are we supposed to tell her though? It's not something with a pre planned speech."

"Call her and we can work it out from there."

John picks his phone off the coffee table and skypes Kelly.

_"Hey Dad, hey Lise." She says with a smile. "What's wrong?"_

"Kelly your mother is dead." John says.

_She gasps. "How?"_

"Suspected suicide." Lise looks like she's about to start crying.

_"But she sounded so happy on the phone this morning."_

"That's why it's suspected. Neither of us think that it was suicide."

_"Where was Mom when she was found?"_

"The sidewalk next to the building where she was taking pictures. I was going to pick her up then we were going to this new Japanese place on the corner of second and main to celebrate the end of a case."

_"There's a bus up to Algonquin Bay in about an hour. I'll try and catch it."_

"We'll pick you up from the bus station here." John says.

_"Thanks. Love you guys."_

"We love you too Kel. See you later."

_"Bye." She ends the call._


	3. Chapter 3

John, Lise and Kelly walk into the police station. Noelle walks over to them and hugs Kelly. 

"How are you?" Noelle asks Kelly.

"Shocked." 

"Losing a loved one is never easy. Especially when their cause of death is unknown or in question." 

***

Ian, Kelly and Derrick Fox are searching through the contents of the bin that was at the scene of Catherine's death. They're looking for an SD card that was in the digital camera that Catherine had with her when she died. 

"Got it!" Derrick says. "Why does it say 'Catherine's last pics'?" 

"Pass it here Derrick." Kelly says choked up.

Derrick hands the SD card to Kelly.

"That's Dr Bell's handwriting." 

"Are you sure?" Ian asks.

"Yes. I've seen it before."

"DYSON! JOHN! LISE! We've got something!" Ian shouts. 

They run into the room. Kelly shakily hands the SD card to Noelle who gasps. Lise looks at it over Noelle's shoulder. 

"We need to get this handwriting checked."

"Don't bother. It's Dr Bell's." Kelly says, sounding angry."

"Dr Bell?" Noelle asks.

"Mom's psychiatrist." 

"McLeod, Fox, Delorme go get him and bring his wife in too."


	4. Chapter 4

Ian and Lise are in the car with Derrick in a car behind them.

"Did I see what I think I saw between you and John earlier?" Ian asks.

"What do you mean?"

"Well in my experience a work partner doesn't help you into your bullet proof vest or spend half the day staring at you." Lise blushes. "Ooh you and John have something going on."

"So what if we do Ian?" 

"Since when?"

"Since we met."

"Do you two live together? Because you always arrive at the same time and I don't think that's a coincidence." 

"He could just pick me up on a morning." She says smiling.

"I heard from Haman that you two only used one hotel room when you were in Toronto for that autopsy back in the spring."

"So what if we did? Our personal lives have nothing to do with work." 

"When you sleep in his hotel room it does."

"What if I had fallen asleep talking about the case?" 

"Haman said he heard things coming from John's room. The bed was banging against the wall." Ian is smirking like a cat that got the cream and the canary. 

"If John and I had sex in a hotel room in Toronto it's nobody's business but ours." 

"Well as your friend and colleague I want to know. Are you and John romantically or otherwise involved?" 

"Yes Ian we are and yes we live together. "

"Way hey! We got there in the end! You're a cute couple. Cut down on the staring and you might actually keep HR convinced that there's nothing more than platonic between you two." 

"If they suspect anything Dyson said she'll cover for us. It'd cause too much of a scandal otherwise."

"It's good that you got Dyson on your side. And we have arrived."


	5. Chapter 5

Derrick knocks on the door.

"Police open up!" He calls.

They hear someone running down the stairs and they put their hands to their guns. Helen Bell opens the door.

"Mrs Bell?" Lise asks.

"Yes?"

"I'm Detective Delorme, this is Detective McLeod and Constable Fox. We need to come in."

Helen let's them in.

"Where's your husband?" Fox asks.

"In his study. Down the hall and to the left."

Derrick and Ian head down the hall. 

"Mrs Bell your husband is under arrest for murder and you need to come in for questioning."

Helen looks very shocked.

"But Frederick wouldn't murder anyone."

"We have sufficient evidence to believe that he did. I can't say anything more about the case at this point, I'm sorry."

***

Noelle walks into the interview room and nods to Derrick. Noelle sets up the recording device.

"Do you wish to call your lawyer?" 

"No." Dr Bell says, sounding smug.

"Okay." She sits down. "Where were you last night at eight pm?" 

"I was stopping one of my patients from committing suicide." 

"We have footage that shows you pushing Catherine Cardinal off of a building."


	6. Chapter 6

Lise pulls into her parents' driveway and gets out of the car. She walks up to the front door and knocks. The door is pulled open by Lise's sister Heloise. 

"Hi Lise. Happy Thanksgiving." She says with a Greek accent. Heloise lives and works in Greece with her husband - Aleksander Baum - and has picked up an accent.

"Hi Heloise. Happy Thanksgiving to you too." 

Heloise lets Lise inside and they go into the living room.

"Hello Lise." Lise and Heloise's mother - Camille - says. 

"Hi Mom, hi Dad, happy Thanksgiving." 

Her dad - Louis - doesn't even look up from his newspaper. Lise rolls her eyes. The two sisters sit down.

"What took you so long to get here? I could have sworn that you didn't live that far away." Heloise smiles in realization. "You were at a guy's house last night! That's why it took you so long to get here." 

"I was at home." 

"Have you moved or something?" Heloise asks.

"I have actually. I forgot to say." 

"When did you move sweetie?" Camille asks.

"The end of February. My work partner asked me to move in with him to make life easier for work." 

This gets her dad's attention.

"So you live with some man from your job?" He says cynically.

"I personally don't see the problem with it. Cohabitation builds trust. We need to trust each other or how are we supposed to be able to work together on raids if we don't trust each other?" 

"She makes a good point, Dad." 

Lise smiles at Heloise in thanks.

"It's wrong." Louis says.

"How?" Lise asks in reply with a raised eyebrow.

"Sweetie, your father thinks that it's a bit risky for you to live with a man. He could take liberties with you." 

"You really think that I couldn't defend myself in a situation like that? I box for a reason." 

"What's your work partner like? And what's his goddamn name?" Heloise asks, sat on the edge of her seat staring intensely at Lise.

"Do not use the Lord's name in vain Heloise." Louis says from behind his newspaper. 

"Well…?" Heloise ignores their dad and asks impatiently.

"His name is John Cardinal." 

"Not as in big city, undercover, every award under the sun, cop John Cardinal?" 

"That's the one." Lise says with a smirk.

"I don't believe you." 

Lise pulls her phone out of her pocket and unlocks it. She shows the wallpaper to her sister. The picture is of Lise and Kelly hitting John over the head with pillows.

"So if that's John in the middle and you on the right who's that on the left?"

"Kelly Cardinal, John's daughter. This was taken by Kelly's mother, Catherine."

"Catherine who was murdered by her therapist?"

"Yes." Lise says sadly.

"I didn't realise that you knew her. I'm so sorry." 

"Don't worry about it."

"I heard something about a memorial at the art gallery for her."

"John and I are arranging it." 

"I wish I was able to come but I have to head home the day before. I'm lead on a case."

"I'm lead on three."

"Three?" Camille asks.

"Yes."

"Which three?" Louis inquires.

"I can't say."

"Why?" 

"For everyone's safety. No one is allowed to tell anyone what they're leading. John only knows what I'm leading because he's second on those cases." Lise says in a 'duh' tone.

"Since I was moved to a different office Aleksander isn't allowed to know what I work on."


	7. Chapter 7

Lise walks into the office. Ian, Ash and Derrick stop their conversation and look at her.

"Merry Christmas." She says. "These are from Dyson..." She hands the gift bags in her left hand to Ian who hands two of them to Ash and Derrick. "and these are from John and I." She hands the gift bags in her right hand out and sits down at her desk that has three gift bags on it.

"Thanks Lise." Ian says after finishing his mouthful of gingerbread.

"Why are you always eating Ian?" Ash asks.

"I'm always hungry." Ian replies.

Lise rolls her eyes. They all open their presents. Once they're done they clear up all the wrapping paper and put their feet up on their desks. The desk Derrick is sat at is actually John's.

"So best presents people. Spill." Ash says smiling.

"I had a lovely bottle of Scotch from my mother-in-law." Ian answers.

"The tantrum of my five year old when she got the wrong barbie and the tantrum of my six year old when she realized that I had to work today." 

Ian laughs. "And you wonder why I never had kids." 

"Oh ha ha." Derrick says with a sarcastic tone. "Ash what was yours?" 

"The book on police practices of the past from my boyfriend." He turns to Lise who is staring at her left hand. "You're awfully quiet over there Lise."

"What on God's green earth are you staring at on your left hand Lise Delorme?" Ian asks in a playful tone. He raises off his seat and sees a ring on her left ring finger. It's a silver band with diamonds set into it all the way around. "Is that an engagement ring?" 

"Yes it is." Lise says smiling.

"When? How? Where?" Ash asks.

"This morning, when we were still in bed."

"Was it romantic?" Derrick asks.

"Very."


	8. Chapter 8

Heloise’s phone rings and she picks it up off the coffee table. She looks at the caller ID and sees that it’s Lise.

“Hello sister dearest. Merry Christmas.”

_“Hi Heloise. Merry Christmas.”_

“What’s happened?”

_“What do you mean ‘what’s happened’?” Lise asks in an innocent tone._

“I can hear the smile in your voice.”

_“Who says I'm smiling?” She asks._

_“Lise tell your bloody sister what happened before I lob something at you.” Ian says._

“Who was that?” Heloise asks laughing.

_“Ian.”_

“Tell me what happened you fuckwit.”

“Heloise watch your language.” Louis admonishes.

_“I got engaged!”_

Heloise shrieks in excitement. “Who? When? I didn’t even know that you were with anyone!”

_“Who: John. When: this morning.” Lise answers calmly._

“John Cardinal, John?”

_“Yes. Who’s the fuckwit now?”_

“So you’re telling me that John Cardinal, as in the John Cardinal, is going to be my brother-in-law?”

_“Yes.”_

“How did you manage to get him? How? I am baffled. Like well and truly baffled. You’re so lucky. Dream job, well known mans. It’s unfair.”

_“Life’s not fair.”_

“Damn right it’s not!”

“What’s going on, sweetie?” Camille asks.

“Got to go, you bitch, the family wants to know what’s going on.”

_“Rather you than me and you’re the bitch. Bye.” She hangs up._

Heloise puts her phone down on the coffee table.

“Lise is engaged.”

“To who?” Louis asks.

“John Cardinal, the lucky bitch.”

“The one she’s living with?” Aleksander asks. His Bulgarian still thick despite not living there for years.

“Yes.”

“Well I won’t be going to the wedding.” Louis says.

“I highly doubt that you’ll get invited in the first place. I’m going back to the hotel.” She walks out.

"I'll sort her out."


End file.
